Water-tight seal assembly



WATER-TIGHT SEAL ASSEMBLY Sheet Filed March 14, 1968 FIG.|

S A MD W A N M IA Y m A s w w 2 M 4 "i 7 3 2 3 1. 6 2 I I F G F BY U'uao DOI March 8, 1969 KAZUYOSHI YAMADA ETAL 3, 33,198

WATER-TIGHT SEAL ASSEMBLY Filed March 14, 1968 Sheet 2 of 5 INVENTORS knzuvoa m YAMADA wto DO] wwww March 18, 1969 KAZUYQSHI YAMADA ETAL 3,433,198

WATER-TIGHT SEAL ASSEMBLY Sheet Filed larch 14, 1968 W I I UWI /h( 8 7 l/ I 2 0 8 2 i. 0 6 m M F V? INVENTOR-S KAzu You YA MA DA United States Patent 42/ 22,769 US. Cl. 114-77 Int. Cl. 1363b 3/06 17 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A removable water-tight seal assembly for the exterior of a floating structure, such as the hull of a ship, is formed of a longitudinally extending waterproof wall member formed of a resilient material such as rubber and having a generally U-shaped transverse section. When placed on the exterior of a floating structure, the interior of the U-shaped section in combination with the opposite surface of the floating structure forms a closed compartment. Support for the Wall member is provided by transversely arranged and longitudinally spaced rib members disposed Within the inner surface of the wall member, these rib members are formed of a rigid material and are fitted into the wall member. Support members are attached to the rib members and extend through the longitudinally extending edge surfaces of the wall members. The support members are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction to afford flexibility to the Wall member in conforming to the exterior configuration of the floating structure. Sealing members extend along the longitudinally extending edge surfaces of the wall members and provide a water-tight seal with the surface of the floating structure. Preferably, these sealing members are of a hollow construction for receiving a hydraulic fluid for assisting in forming the water-tight seal. Serially arranged longitudinally extending beam members with overlapping ends are disposed within the interior of the U-shaped wall members for supporting the wall members from afloating structure. The overlapping ends of the beam members are pin-connected and support elements are attached to the pins and extend into and are secured within the floating structure. In place of the beam means, where the wall member is to be fitted to the curvilinear surface of the floating structure, a wire or cable is provided through the interior of the wall member secured to its ribs and a pulling force is exerted on the wire for forcing the wall member into water-tight relationship with the curvilinear surface of the floating structure.

Summary of the invention 7 The present invention is directed to an apparatus for forming a water-tight compartment on the exterior underwater surface of a floating structure, such as the hull of a ship, and more particularly, it is directed to a longitudinally extending resilient wall member containing transverse and longitudinally extending support members for withstanding exterior water pressure while maintaining the flexible character of the Wall member. When positioned on a floating structure, the wall member affords a compartment between its inner surface and the opposed surface of the floating structure which can be dewatered to permit either the cutting of a floating structure into separate sections or the joining of separate sections into a unitary section.

In recent years there has been an increasing need for ships of greater size. To construct larger vessels, it has become necessary either to erect new facilities of increased size to accommodate the vessels, or to enlarge 3,433,198 Patented Mar. 18, 1969 the existing facilities to the extent that they will accommodate larger vessels. In either case, the cost of the new or of the enlarged existing facility is considerable and there is also an increased cost incurred in the maintenance and repair of the facility. Accordingly, to overcome these cost factors, various methods of building separate parts of a ship have been developed using existing facilities and then joining the separately constructed parts together after they have been launched. In addition to the construction of new vessels it has also been proposed to increase the size of existing vessels by adding to their length, depth or breadth. Preferably, such operations are performed while the existing structure is still in the water rather than mooring it in a drydock or a similar facility. In any of the above operations in which separate sections of a hull are joined together or where a hull is to be separated for increasing its size, an important consideration is to assure a water-tight compartment about the exterior of the hull for carrying out either the cutting or the joining step under dry or dewatered conditions.

A method which has been used in constructing a new ship is to initially build it in two separate parts in existing facilities, launching the parts separately, and then joining them together while they are floating in the water. Where existing ships are involved and it is desired to increase them in size, the existing ship is cut in two on the water, additional parts are attached to the original sections, and they are all welded together to form a unitary vessel of increased size.

In the past, various seal arrangements have been employed to obtain a water-tight arrangement about the exterior surface of a floating structure. In one such arrangement, a waterproof band, made of a water impervious resilient material, such as rubber or a synthetic resin, is fixed to the underwater part of a ships hull, with the band being secured to the vessel along its longitudinal edges by means of wires. To achieve the desired watertight relationship with the hull, it is necessary to exert a tension on the wire, and for this purpose various hydraulic means or other apparatus, such as lever mechanisms, have been used. However, in applying tension to the wires, it has been diflicult to apply a suflicient force to insure a complete Water-tight engagement between the band and the hull of the vessel. The inability to obtain an adequate Water-tight engagement is complicated further by the configuration of a hull, normally a hull contains generally horizontally and vertically arranged portions joined together by a curvilinear portion. As a result, additional means have been required to obtain a Watertight seal between the different portions of the hull structure. When the hydraulic means or lever mechanisms mentioned above have been utilized, it has been necessary to provide special fittings for use with them in securing the band to the hull. Moreover, the procedure of attaching and subsequently removing these members from the hull of a vessel when this work must be performed underwater has been both exceedingly diflicult and timeconsuming.

Therefore, the primary object of the invention is to afford a seal assembly including a flexible wall member which can be easily secured to and removed from the exterior underwater surface of a floating structure, which will afford a water-tight engagement with the floating structure and will avoid the various difliculties experienced in the past with similar sealing apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wall member which is adequately supported against exterior water pressure when it is positioned on a floating structure.

Still another object of the present invention is to supply an eflicient sealing member disposed between the wall member and the opposed surface of the floating structure to assure a water-tight seal therebetween.

Moreover, another object of the invention is to provide a support arrangement for forcing the wall member into sealing contact with the surface of the floating structure, and particularly to an arrangement for assuring sealing contact with the curvilinear portion of a floating structure.

A further object of the invention is to furnish a seal assembly which can be simply and easily assembled on a floating structure and which can be used either to cut the floating structure into separate parts or to join separate parts together.

Therefore, in the present invention a water-tight seal assembly is comprised of a longitudinally extending wall member formed of a water-proof resilient material having a generally U-shaped transverse section with the opening in the U-shaped transverse section arranged to face the surface of the floating structure to which it is to be applied. Along the longitudinally extending edge surfaces of the outstanding ends of the U-shaped section sealing members are provided which develop a water-tight seal between the assembly and the surface of the floating structure. In position on the underwater surface of a floating structure the exterior water pressure has a tendency to collapse the wall member because of its resilient character, however, transverse ribs of a rigid material are disposed at longitudinally spaced positions within the wall member to provide it with the required stiffening to withstand the exterior water pressure. Moreover, support members are secured to the rib members and extend through the longitudinally extending edge surfaces of the wall members. These support members are spaced apart in a serial arrangement to provide both the required stiffening sup port and the flexibility of the wall member, especially where it is attached to a curvilinear portion of the floating structure.

A longitudinally extending assembly of members is positioned within the U-shaped wall member for attachment to support means within the floating structure whereby the wall member can be drawn into water-tight contact with the surface of the floating structure. The beam members comprise a plurality of individual sections which overlap one another at their ends and are pin connected together to form a continuous assembly for assisting in supporting the wall member off the floating structure.

A seal assembly of the present invention can be utilized in joining separated sections of floating structures together or in cutting a floating structure into separate sections.

The seal assembly is easily positioned on the floating structure, and once in water-tight engagement, the interior compartment provided between the wall member and the floating structure can be dewatered so that whatever operations have to be performed can be carried out under dry conditions.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularly in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the hull of the ship showing a seal assembly according to the present invention secured to the exterior underwater portion of the bull in a plane transverse to the length of the ship;

FIG. 2 is a partial view of one section of the hull shown in FIG. 1 indicating schematically an arrangement for supporting the seal assembly;

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view through the seal assembly secured to the hull in FIG. 1 illustrating an embodiment for joining separate portions of a hull together;

FIG. 5 is a partial side view of an arrangement for supporting the seal assembly, shown in FIG. 4, from the interior of the hull;

FIG. 6 is a partial transverse view of the seal assembly indicating the apparatus employed for securing the assembly to the curvilinear portion of the hull;

FIG. 7 is a sectional side view take along line VII-VII in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view of the seal assembly, similar to that shown in FIG. 4, however, disclosing an embodiment for securing the seal assembly to a floating structure which is to be cut into separate sections;

FIG. 9 is a partial side view of the structure for securing the seal assembly, shown in FIG. 8, to the exterior surface of the hull; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged partial side view of the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 3 indicating a part of the support means for securing the seal assembly to the exterior surface of the hull.

Detailed description of the invention.

In the drawings, FIGS. 1 to 7 and 10 show a ship in which separate parts of the hull are to be joined together to form a unitary hull structure. In FIGS. 8 and 9 an embodiment of the seal assembly is shown for attachment to a hull which is to be divided into separate sections. In the drawings, reference numerals employed for the same parts of the seal assembly are given the same reference designation, however, certain elements of the support arrangement for the seal assembly differ dependent upon whether the hull is to be cut into separate sections or is to be welded into a unitary structure, and these elements are given different reference numerals.

In FIG. 1 a ship A is shown in the water with a water level (W.L.) indicated on its hull. The hull of the ship is divided into two parts 1 and 2 along a plane transverse to the length of the ship. Closely spaced from the plane separating the two parts a transverse bulk head 3, 4 is joined to each of the two parts 1 and 2 forming, with the interior surface of the hull between the bulk heads, a cofferdam 5. On the exterior surface or shell plates 6 of the hull a seal assembly 7 forms a watertight compartment about the hull in the plane in which the parts 1 and 2 are to be joined together. The seal assembly 7 is supported at its end above the water level by means of a cable 23 which extends upwardly to a Winch 25 mounted on the deck of the ship.

The seal assembly 7 extends about the below water level section of the hull in the transverse plane of joinder of its two parts 1, 2. By means of this arrangement it is possible to provide a water-tight compartment on the exterior of the hull during the joining operation and also to prevent water from entering the cofferdam 5 located between the bulk heads 3 and 4 within the ship.

As shown in FIG. 4, the seal assembly 7 is formed by a longitudinally extending wall member 7a having a U-shaped transverse cross section. The wall member 7a is formed of a resilient waterproof material, such as rubber, and its longitudinally extending edge portions 711 have an increased width as compared to the web section 7c of the wall member. Since the wall member 7a is formed of a resilient flexible material, to prevent its collapse against the vessel under the force of the water pressure on its exterior surface 7d, a plurality of transversely arranged, longitudinally spaced rib members 8 are fitted into slots in the inner surface 7e of the wall member. Each of the rib members 8 is provided with a discharge hole 8c, through which water flows from a compartment between the rib members to another one directly thereunder. The water thus gathering to the inside bottom of the seal assembly 7 is pumped out.

As can be seen in FIG. 7, the rib members 8 have an inverted T-shaped configuration comprising a web or leg member 8a extending upwardly from the inner surface of the wall member 7a and a head section 8b which is fitted within a slot in the wall member 7a. Integrally attached to the ends of the ribs 8 and located through the longitudinally extending edge portions 7b of the wall member are support members 9. These support members 9 which have a right-angle or L-shaped cross section are embedded within the edge portions 7b. The support members 9 extend longitudinally from both sides of the rib 8 to which they are connected and, as shown in FIG. 7, an open space 10 is provided between the adjacent ends of the support members to afford the requisite flexibility for the edge portions 7b of the wall members so that they properly conform to the exterior surface configuration of the hull, whether it is horizontal, vertical or curvilinear, as is indicated in FIGS. 3 and 10.

Longitudinal grooves 11 are formed in the edge surfaces 7 facing the exterior surfaces 6 of the hull for receiving tubular sealing members, made of rubber or a material with similar properties, the hollow portion of the sealing members is arranged to receive a hydraulic fluid to assure that the sealing member is forced into water-tight engagement with the surface of the ship.

While the seal assembly is being assembled on the hull, a structure is required to support it from the interior of the ship. As shown in FIG. 4, the support structure is comprised of a series of beam members 13 which extend longitudinally through the interior of the U-shaped wall member 7a. The beams have a length which is a multiple of the spacing between adjacent ribs 8. The ends 13a of the beam members 13 overlap one another and are furnished with openings 13b in which pins 14 connect them together forming an articulated joint which supplies the necessary flexibility for the attachment of the seal assembly to the hull. The beam members 13 have an L-shaped configuration with a short outstanding leg 130 located at the upper end. The outstanding leg of the beam member is arranged to face in opposite directions on adjacent beam sections. The beam members 13 are provided on flat portions of the bottom as well as on underwater portions of the vertical sides. In addition to the beam members 13 which furnish support in either the vertical or horizontal portions of the hull, a wire 17 is provided in the portion of the seal assembly which is arranged to contact the curvilinear portion of the hull, see FIG. 10, that is the portion indicated as having a radius R.

The wire 17 is at one end connected to that end of a beam 13d which lies at the lower end of the curvilinear portion of the hull. The wire 17 extends through supporting rings 16 along the curvilinear portion and along the side to a chain block 33 (FIGS. 3, 6 and 10). The chain block 33, to which the other end of the wire 17 is attached, is secured to a support structure 34 so as to pull the wire upwardly. The support structure 34 is provided on the shell plates of the hull.

Each of the ribs 8 is provided with a bracket and supporting rings 16 are fitted into the bracket and into the beam member 13 for providing the connection between these elements. At the location of each pin 14 connecting adjacent beam members 13, a support plate 18 is fitted onto the pin and extends upwardly, passing between the shell plates 6 of the hull parts 1, 2, to a point within the cofferdam 5 of the ship. A hole 18a is provided in the upper end of the support plate 18 into which a supporting cable 20 is secured, and, in turn, this cable extends upwardly to an attachment member 22, such as a screw, a turn-buckle or the like, see FIG. 3, which secures the cable to a support structure 21 mounted on the bulk head 3 of the vessel for supporting the seal assembly while it is being positioned in place on the ship. As illustrated in FIG[ 3, the horizontal portions of the seal assembly are supported directly from the attachment members 22, however, the ends of the cables 20 which extend from the vertical portion of the ships exterior surface pass over sheaves 26 and eventually are attached to the support structure 21 on the bulkhead 3 of the part 1 of the vessel, see FIG. 3. Attached to the end of the seal assembly above the water level is a cable 23 which passes upwardly to the deck of the ship, passing over a sheave 24 and then to a winch 25 for securing the seal assembly in place on the exterior of the hull.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, a different support arrangement is illustrated for the seal assembly 7 for use when it is applied to a hull which is to be cut into separate sections. In this arrangement the wall member 7a, the sealing member 12, and the beam members 13 within the Wall member are the same as described above. However, where separate parts of the hull are being joined together, there is a space through which the support plate 18 can be positioned for attachment to the wall member, see FIGS. 4 and 5, while in the arrangement shown in FIG. 8, a hole 31 must be formed in the hull of the vessel for the insertion of the rod 28. As displayed in FIGS. 8 and 9, the outer end of the rod, that is on the portion which extends beyond the exterior surface 6 of the hull, is threaded while its inner end is provided with an eye 28a for the attachment of the cable 20 to the rod. A combined nut-plate member 29 is utilized for securing the beam members 13 and the rod 28 together. The nut portion of the member 29 is screwed onto the threaded end of the rod 28 and the plate portion has an opening for alignment with the openings through the overlapping ends of the beam members 13 and a pin 30 secures the nut-plate member 29 and the beam members together. The beam members 13, as in the arrangement previously described, are connected to the wall members 7a by means of a support ring 16 which fits within an opening in the beam member and through an opening in a bracket 15 secured to the rib members 8. Since the ship is floating on the water, when the holes 31 are formed through its hull water will enter into the ship unless some means are provided to seal the holes. After the hole 3 is formed and the rod 28 is positioned through it, a stufiing box 32 is secured to the inner surface of the shell plates 6 for sealing the hole 31.

The following is a description of the manner in which the seal assembly 7 is employed *when two parts 1, 2 are to be welded together to form a single hull section.

First the proper length of wall member 7a is obtained and a cable 23 is secured to its opposite longitudinal ends passing over the pulley 24 to the winch 25 on the deck of the ship for lowering the seal assembly 7 into place. In addition, the beam members 13 for supporting the seal assembly 7 during the installation operation are connected to one another, to the brackets 15 on the ribs 8 and also to the supporting cables 20 which are attached through the elements 22 to the support means 21 on the bulkhead 3 of part 1 of the ship. At the same time, the wire 17 is connected to the chain block 33.

After the connection of the supporting means to the seal assembly it is lowered from the deck of the vessel to a position generally as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 where it extends about the exterior of the shell plates 6 of the part 1 of the vessel. During the positioning of the seal assembly, the support structure 21 and the winch 25 adjusts the lengths of the respective cables 20 and 23 to locate the seal assembly. Initially, the seal assembly is lowered into a position spaced slightly outward from the exterior surface of the hull and the other part 2 to be connected to part 1 is aligned with part 1 and temporary joining members, not shown, are employed for holding the two parts in relatively aligned positions during the connecting operation. With the parts 1 and 2 positioned opposite one another and the correct space or opening 19 arranged between the shell plates 6 to be joined together,

as shown in FIG. 4, the seal assembly 7 can be pulled into water-tight engagement with the exterior surface of the hull by means of the support structure 21 and the winch 25 through the cable 23. The wire 17, at the same time, is fastened by means of the chain block 33 so that the seal assembly 7 may further be drawn into water-tight engagement with the curvilinear surface of the hull.

During this period of the operation, the cotferdam is flooded and water is contained within the compartment formed between the exterior surface 6 of the hull and the interior U-shaped section of the wall member 7a. Since the seal members 12 afford a water-tight relationship between the seal assembly 7 and the hull to points above the water level on either side of the hull, the cofferdam 5 and the interior of the compartment formed within the seal assembly can be dewatered by pumping. When the compartment is dewatered, the exterior water pressure acting on the wall member 7a is sufficient to hold it in water-tight engagement with the hull, accordingly the support arrangement provided by the cable 20 and the beam members 13 within the compartment are no longer required. Therefore, each of the support plates 18 is cut along a line indicated by the line a in FIG. 5 and the lower portion of the plate still attached to the beam members 13 by the pin 14 can be rotated into the compartment formed within the wall member 7a. After all of the support plates 18 have been cut and displaced from the opening 19 between the oppositely disposed shell plates 6 of the hull, the plates 6 can be welded together forming an integral hull section. The edges of the plates 6 at the opening 19 are beveled to assist in obtaining an efiicient weld between the separate parts 1 and 2 of the ship.

During the welding operation, which is conducted under dry conditions because both the cofierdam 5 and the compartment within the wall member 7a is dewatered, the ribs 8 and the support members 9 provide sufiicient rigidity and reinforcement to the wall member 7a to prevent its collapse under the force of the exterior Water pressure acting on the hull. As mentioned previously, the spacing of the support members 9 in the longitudinal direction through the edge portions 7b of the wall member 7a provides the requisite flexibility for securing the wall member to the variously shaped configurations of the exterior surfaces of the hull, while also assuring the necessary reinforcement for withstanding the exterior water pressure.

After the welding operation has been completed, water can be admitted to the interior of the seal assembly equalizing the water pressure acting on its exterior surface 7d and releasing it from the exterior surface of the hull. With the opposite ends of the seal assembly 7 connected by the cables 23 to the winch 25, the assembly can be easily recovered.

In preparation for cutting a unitary hull into separate sections, the placement of the seal assembly 7 on the exterior of the vessel is somewhat different. Initially, the holes 31 must be formed through the shell plates 6 and, since water will rush into the hull as soon as the hole is formed through it, the rod 28 is immediately placed through the opening 31 and the stuffing box 32 secured to the interior surface of the hull to prevent the leakage of water into the ship. While the rods are being placed through the hull, the seal assembly 7 is attached by means of cables 23 to the winch or winches 25 on the deck of the ship and is hung in a transverse plane to the length of the ship for securing the wall member 7a and its support beam arrangement to the individual rods 28. This operation is performed under water by divers. With the seal assembly 7 properly positioned opposite the portion of the hull to be cut, the combined nut-plate 29 is threaded onto the rod 28 and secured to the beam members 13 by means of the pins 30 to complete the connection of the support structure within the hull to the seal assembly. When all of the connections are made between the rods 28 and the nut-plate 29, the seal assembly is pulled into water-tight relationship with the exterior surface of the hull and the cutting operation is ready to be performed. However, before the cutting can be carried out, the interior compartment within the wall member 7a must be dewatered to assure that the cutting step is performed under dry conditions. Owing to dewatering, the rod 28 becomes useless because the seal assembly 7 under water pressure acting on the exterior surface there of is pulled into water-tight engagement with the exterior surface of the hull. Accordingly, the rod 28 is unscrewed from the nut-plate 29 and is recovered. A cutting line for the gas cutting of the hull is then cleared. After dewatering, the hull can be easily cut into two separate parts. When the hull has been divided into its separate parts, the cofferdam 5 and the interior of the wall member 7a can be filled with water and the seal assembly 7 easily removed from the exterior of the hull.

The present invention has the following advantages:

(1) The compression of the sealing members 12 is easily achieved because of the manner in which the ribs and the longitudinally extending support members 9 are embedded within the structure of the wall member 7a.

(2) Since the support members 9 located in the edge surfaces 7b of the wall member 7a are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, there is suflicient flexibility afforded the seal assembly to assure that it will adequately conform to the exterior configuration of the hull.

(3) In the sections of the hull which are curved, the cable 17 extending between the support plates 18 assures that the wall member 7a is adequately compressed against the steel plates 6 of the hull to assure that a water-tight engagmeent is achieved.

(4) Because of the simplicity of the seal assembly 7 and the manner in which it is secured to the hull, the underwater work required to be performed by divers is kept at a minimum and can be easily performed.

(5) The combined flexibility and rigidity given the wall member 7a by its reinforcing elements assure a more complete water-tight engagement with the hull than has been possible in the past with conventional apparatus employed for a similar operation.

(6) The means employed for securing the seal assem bly to the vertical portion of the hull provides adequate compression or pulling action to provide'the required water-tight engagement between the sealing members 12 and this section,of the hull.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A water-tight seal assembly for use on the exterior underwater surface of a floating structure, such as the hull of a ship, comprises a longitudinally extending waterproof wall member formed of a resilient material and having a generally U-shaped transverse section forming an inner surface within the interior of the U-shaped section and an oppositely facing outer surface, said wall member having a pair of longitudinally extending edges at the outer ends of its U-shaped transverse section, a longitudinally extending sealing member is located in each of the longitudinally extending edges of said wall member and is arranged to contact an oppositely disposed surface on a floating structure, a plurality of longitudinally spaced transversely arranged rigid rib members are fitted within the inner surface of said wall member, longitudinally extending support members are disposed within the edges of said wall member, said support members are attached to said rib members, said support members extend in a serially arranged lonigtudinally spaced relationship within said wall member whereby the longitudinal edges are supported while retaining the flexible characteristic of the material forming said wall member, and means are attached to said wall member and are arranged to secure it to the exterior surface of a floating structure along the longitudinal edges of said wall member whereby said sealing members are arranged to form a water-tight seal with the exterior surface of a floating structure and a compartment is arranged to be formed between the inner surface of said wall member and the oppositely disposed exterior surface of a floating structure.

2. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said wall member is formed of rubber.

3. A watertight seal assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said longitudinally extending edges have an increased thickness section compared to the remaining por tion of said wall member extending between said longitudinally extending edges.

4. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said support members have an L-shaped cross section with one leg of the L-shaped section extending in a direction toward the outer surface of said wall member and the other leg directed downwardly away from said longitudinal edge of said wall member.

5. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said rib member has a tT-shaped cross section with the head of the T-shaped section fitted within a slot within the interior of said wall member.

6. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein grooves are formed in the longitudinally extending edges of said wall members and are arranged to face in the direction of a floating structure, and said sealing members having a hollow cross section are disposed within the grooves in said wall member.

7. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 6, wherein said sealing member is formed of rubber and is arranged to receive a hydraulic fluid within its hollow cross section for effecting a water-tight seal with an opposed surface of a floating structure.

8. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for securing said wall member to the exterior surface of a floating structure comprises a plurality of longitudinally extending serially arranged beams articulated together and disposed within and extending through the U-shaped section of said wall member, and means for securing said beams to said rib members for supporting said wall member.

9. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 8, wherein said beam members have a length at least equal to twice the spacing between adjacent said rib members.

10. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 8,

wherein said means for securing said beam members to said ribs comprise a support ring secured to said beams and to said rib members.

11. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 10, wherein a bracket member is attached to said rib member and extends angularly therefrom and said support ring is attached to said bracket member.

12. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 11, wherein the adjacent ends of said beam members are disposed in overlapping relationship, and a pin interconnects the overlapping ends of said beam members.

13. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 12, wherein a support bar is attached to said pin and is arranged to extend outwardly from the U-shaped opening in said wall member for securing the seal assembly to a floating structure.

14. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 13, wherein a cable member is attached to the end of said support bar opposite the end pins connected to said beam member, and a fastener member is attached to said cable opposite its point of attachment to said support bar and is arranged for securernent to a floating structure.

15. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 12, wherein a support element is attached to said beam member and comprises a rod threaded at one end and having a combined nut-plate attached thereto, said nut is threaded onto said rod and said plate section thereof is attached to said pin connecting said beam members together.

16. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 15, wherein a stufiing box is disposed on said rod and is arranged to be secured to the interior surface of a floating structure for forming a seal for an opening in a floating structure through which the rod extends.

17. A water-tight seal assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein a longitudinally extending cable is disposed within said wall member for securing said wall member to the curvilinear portion of a floating structure, said cable attached to said trib members of said wall member, and means for applying a pulling force at the opposite ends of said cables for drawing the wall member into a sealing engagement with the surface of a floating structure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,370,565 2/1968 Takezawa et al. ll477 TRYGVE M. BLIX, Primary Examiner. 

